In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 215

All of a sudden, Su-Jin stretched out a finger and pointed at the parking lot right outside the hanok village.

“Director Kang, how about we park the car over there? Last night I read on the internet that the streets inside the village are quite narrow. Apparently, there are places that don’t even fit a car. If that’s indeed true, then driving inside would be too inconvenient. Besides, it would be much easier to find what we are looking for if we go on foot. Don’t you think so?”

Ji-Won glanced towards the hanok village. Sure enough, if even the entrance seemed too narrow, let alone some of the streets inside.

“You’re right.” he said, pulling the wheel and driving inside the parking lot. “Let’s leave the car here for now. We’ll come back for it once we finish touring the place.”

And just like that, they both decided it would be a good idea to leave the car outside the village.

However, the moment Su-Jin and Ji-Won stepped out of the car their lungs rapidly filled with a heavy, hot air. After barely taking several steps towards the entrance of the village, they immediately felt their clothes sticking to their backs. Really an uncomfortable feeling.

This situation caused Su-Jin to have instant regrets. She gave her boss a couple of furtive glances, before finally gathering the courage to speak.

“I’m sorry, Director Kang.”

“Hm? What are you being sorry for?” Ji-Won glanced at her in confusion.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Ambling about in this weather might be uncomfortable. Should we go back to the car?” She finished with an embarrassed smile.

“It’s a little too hot, that’s for sure. But I don’t mind walking.” Ji-Won replied earnestly.

He raised his eyes towards the traditional rooftops and smiled.

“Besides, I believe you were right. We’ll be able to get a better hands-on experience of the place if we go on foot.”

Hearing this answer left Su-Jin thoroughly stupefied. She gaped at her boss in wonder, as though the man had just declared he was some kind of an extraterrestrial being. For sure, she didn’t expect him to be so accommodating. And not just because of her past opinion of him.

No, that was long gone from her mind. But the walking conditions right now were really too poor. Especially for Ji-Won, whose long-sleeved jacket made it all the more uncomfortable. Su-Jin felt a shiver going down her spine just by looking at his clothes.

However, the man she was feeling sorry for didn’t seem too affected.

In order to make walking in that weather slightly more bearable, Ji-Won eventually took off the jacket and wrapped it neatly around one arm. He also loosened his tie a little, then opened the first button of his shirt.

This appearance made Ji-Won look especially handsome, but also quite relaxed. He seemed like a man out for a casual walk, and not a Director about to do field work.

Just when Su-Jin was getting lost in this appealing sight, another shocking thing happened.

Su-Jin saw her boss taking a few steps towards the entrance of the village, all the while looking down at his feet and mumbling something to himself.

“Hm, that’s not quite right. Should it be getting a ‘foot-on’ experience, rather than ‘hands-on’?”

As though amused by his own words, Ji-Won started laughing quietly.

Witnessing this odd behavior left Su-Jin in a state of perplexity all the way inside the village.

However, once she began walking along the paved streets, staring left and right at the traditional looking buildings, Su-Jin forgot everything else entirely. Her whole being was focused on catching every minute detail of her surroundings. Every house and rooftop, every wall and carving, every bend and slope, she simply couldn’t get enough of everything.

Su-Jin was so distracted by the simple and refreshing beauty of the village that she didn’t even notice when Ji-Won had come to walk next to her.

Right now, he was walking so close that their shoulders bumped a few times. At one point, Ji-Won’s fingers even grazed past the back of Su-Jin’s hand.

The touch had been very light and brief, almost like the soft fluttering of a butterfly’s wing on a petal.

Still, at the unexpected feel of Su-Jin’s skin, Ji-Won flinched and jerked away. He immediately took one step further to the side, and even placed his hand inside his trouser pocket for good measure. It was almost like he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be tempted to repeat the previous experience.

All this while Su-Jin was too out of it to notice any of this. Her mind was solely focusing on watching the buildings and their surroundings.

And it was indeed lucky that Su-Jin hadn’t been aware of this, because it was obvious that Ji-Won’s countenance wasn’t that of a boss when walking next to his employee.

He looked flustered, but also excited. His heart was beating rapidly and his face was flushed red all the way to the tips of his ears.

During the entire time they were walking Ji-Won’s eyes never strayed from Su-Jin even for one second, always following wherever she went. And his body went along with his gaze, being only half a step behind her.

Once again, the boundaries between boss and employee began to blur. At least that was the case for him.

Without being able to stop himself, Ji-Won began to expect something more out of this situation. His fingers itched inside the pocket, wanting to stretch out and take a hold of her hand. He would be satisfied even with a brief touch like before.

But what would happen if he indulged this desire? Just how shocked and confused would Su-Jin be if, out of the blue, he went all out and showed her his feelings?

And what would happen to them next? Would they make light of it, calling it an accident, then simply revert to being coworkers? Or was there really a chance to take that step forward into a different kind of relationship?

He’d promised to wait for that right moment, but he was now starting to worry about when and if it would ever come.

Just like a pendulum, his thoughts kept swinging back and forth between doubt and determination.. Not even the man himself could glimpse where it would eventually stop.